Stardew Valley: One of the best farming simulator games of all time

Header Picture comes from Redditor sevvleaves at r/StardewValley

Introduction

Stardew Valley made me enjoy RPGs and farming simulators. What sets it apart is its balance between farming and an engaging storyline. It gives you the best of both worlds while creating the exciting, relaxed atmosphere that Stardew Valley is known for. If you want to get into simulator games, Stardew Valley is one of those games that is incredibly addictive and fun for everyone.

What is Stardew Valley?

Stardew Valley is an indie game released in February 2016 by Concerned Ape. At the beginning of the game, you inherit your grandfather’s farm after your character becomes disenchanted with the work-life they are given. When you arrive at the farm, you are tasked with reviving your grandfather’s farm in any way you like. As the game continues, you are introduced to multiple characters living in a small town called Pelican Town. From there, you learn more about the town’s inhabitants, as well as the history of the town. You also learn more about the magic world that hides from other humans, as well as a secret language that only a few know. One of the main missions in the game is two things: to revive the old Community Center, or to side with a capitalist business that negatively affects the townspeople in Pelican Town. You are given two alternative endings, depending on which route you choose. Between the two endings, this can also alter the relationship between your character and the townspeople. The game also includes different areas to explore that are outside Pelican Town, such as a desert area called Calico Desert. Another region that players can explore is Ginger Island, but it is only unlockable after completing the main storyline mission.

The game itself is great to play with friends as well. There is a cap of 4 players per server, and there are many different styles of houses that each player (aside from the leader) can choose. You can also choose different landscapes for your farm at the beginning of the game. In total, you have 8 options to choose from that contain different perks for each farm, such as the river farm option, where your farm is surrounded by water for fishing, but is not great for agriculture. Outside of farming, you can also complete objectives for the npc’s across Pelican Town, which can boost your relationships with them. Not only do you have to farm or fish for money, but you can also defeat other monsters in the game as well to earn bounty rewards and weapons.

Mods and Cross-play

One of the greatest aspects of Stardew Valley is the community of modders that dedicate themselves to creating mods for everyone to play. There is a Stardew Valley Expanded mod that someone can download if they want to access more npc’s, as well as unlock areas, items, and quests that you would not receive from the original game. There are also mods that can change the textures of the game to look more realistic or to the aesthetic of your own choosing, or mods that enhance or give you more weapons, or silly mods that are there just for pure entertainment or weirdness. In terms of where to play the game, Stardew Valley is incredibly accessible on PC, Console, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices. It’s able to cross-play with other devices, so it’s pretty easy to play with your friends. The only downside to playing Stardew Valley is the inability to download and use mods on other devices aside from PC. With that, only the sandbox version is available for gameplay if you are using anything but a PC or a gaming laptop.

Conclusion

In short, the game is incredibly addictive once you start to play the game. Not only is the story immersive, but it is also incredibly fun to play with your friends while making your farm in any aesthetic. Not only is it incredibly addicting, but it’s a great game to relieve some stress from everyday life. If you enjoy games like Stardew Valley, there are other games out there that are very fun and enjoyable to play with other players as well. Games such as  Terraria, Minecraft, My Time in Portia, Spiritfarer, and others are recommended to try out as well.